New podcasts on air as productions ramp up
By Caroline Enos
» Staff Writer
PEABODY — If you want to start a podcast, Peabody TV is the place to make it.
The public access station has started up a string of shows over the last few months that platform topics such as local farming, cancer recovery and drag performers. They aim to entertain and educate listeners, and can be made by just about anyone who’s interested.
“There’s definitely more podcasts now than we’ve ever had in the past, and it’s great to get them rolling,” said Randyll Collum, associate director of education at Peabody TV.
The shows are produced at Peabody TV’s Main Street headquarters in a studio that’s “super comfortable,” said Daybar Bugler, who’s created two podcasts at the station.
One done alongside her husband highlighted the best local eats on the North Shore — an interest the couple and her sister have turned into a business at their new food and gift store EDEX Provisions in downtown Peabody.
The other is a podcast she puts
See PODCAST, Page A2
LJ Kelly, also known as drag king Buster Pants, hosts a new podcast called “Buster’s Beat,” produced by Peabody TV.
RANDYLL COLLUM
Continued from Page A1
out with farmer CJ Hughes at Newhall Fields Community Farm, a Peabody nonprofit fighting food insecurity for which Bugler is the social media manager. That show, “The Cultivator,” is still rolling out new episodes about the organization and local farming.
“It was really great, open communication and progress on getting our content out there, which was awesome,” Bugler said. “They had some really great suggestions about platforms and things that I might not have been aware of that made the podcast process even easier.”
Peabody TV’s newest podcasts are by drag performers Buster Pants and Miz Diamond Wigfall, known as LJ Kelly and AJ Fenway Parker offstage, respectively.
Buster’s show, “Buster’s Beat,” focuses on local Queer artists and entertainers. Think drag performers, comedians, tattoo artists and pretty much anyone who works in the entertainment industry.
Episodes discuss what it’s like to navigate the industry and straight spaces as Queer people, but also life in general, Buster said.
“I really wanted to open it up to different kinds of entertainers, especially people who work in visual arts or theater where they might be in much smaller pockets and not out in the public eye as much,” Buster said. “There’s going to be some really fun, interesting conversations coming up.” “Buster’s Beat” comes out on the second Thursday of every month. Like that podcast, Miz Diamond’s new show “YAS TALK” also centers Queer experiences.
“YAS TALK” covers everything from Miz Diamond’s drag inspirations to pop culture phenomena like Beyonce’s new album, “Cowboy Carter.”
“This is a chance to see Queer people in a light that isn’t just performance- based,” Miz Diamond said. “You’re getting a sense of their humanity, their sassiness, and I’m just very excited to see the conversations that come out of it.”
Both Miz Diamond and Buster were recently featured in Peabody TV’s documentary, “The Drag Queens, Kings and Things of Salem.” Working with the station and Collum, the producer of the films and their podcasts, has been “such a joy,” Buster said.
It was Collum’s idea to start Buster’s podcast, a thing Buster always wanted to do, but never felt like they had the technical skills to do.
But Peabody TV can be as hands on or hands off with the podcast as the creator likes.
The station will take care of all the filming and editing, or teach podcasters how to do it themselves, said Nicholas DeSimone, Peabody TV’s associate director of production services. DeSimone produced Bugler’s podcasts along with the “Peabody Business Podcast,” hosted by the city’s business liaison, Chris Ryder.
“One thing that I find myself really believing in through this job is equal access to media,” DeSimone said.
He created his own Peabody TV podcast highlighting local musicians, called “The Performers,” and is producing Beverly resident Mark Damian’s show “Cancer? How Did This Happen To Me?”
Having been diagnosed with prostate cancer himself, Damian’s show takes listeners through his journey with cancer but also helps them navigate their own. He talks about support that’s out there for patients and their families, types of treatments available and the importance of regular screenings to catch cancer as early as possible.
Damian took a podcasting class through Peabody TV before starting the show and is now also working with Beverly’s public access station, BevCam, on the project.
“Peabody TV is offering a way for you to take some of your passions and relay that to the community, share what you learned, share what you observed and then connect with people,” he said.
Peabody TV podcasts can be found on Spotify by searching the name of the podcast.
For those interested in making a podcast with Peabody TV, email info@peabodytv. org or call the station at 978-977-0570.
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com
(From left) Chris O’Keefe and Mark Damian on Damian’s Peabody TV podcast, “Cancer? How Did This Happen To Me?”
NICK DESIMONE
Drag queen Miz Diamond Wigfall, known as AJ Fenway Parker out of drag, hosts a new podcast called “YAS TALK,” produced by Peabody TV.
RANDYLL COLLUM
